Faith Capsule: Specifically, have you been asking or assuming?

Matthew 7:7-12, Luke 18:35-42

What God says He will do is a done deal for anyone that knows to engage His word faithfully. The Creative creator is true and cannot lie. Psalmist testified, “As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.” (Psalm 18:30) Proverbs 30:8 stated, “Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.” The book of Hebrews 12:4 buttressed, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
The word of God is authentic to deliver answers when there is asking!
Isaiah 55:11 buttressed: “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it brings forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”
Considering the scriptural verses above, why it is so difficult for a man to give self to the word of God?
Are you facing any challenge that seems to be bringing your world to a standstill?
Why is it so difficult to know that the word of God is the solution for all challenges of the world?
God, by His word is the only Eternal surgeon; He is the only One who reverses the irreversible and He is the Unchanging changer with solution for the world’s challenges.
What is your pressing challenge?
Have you been asking for God’s solution or assuming for solution?
Matthew 7:7-8 records: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.   For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” Specifically, have you been asking or assuming?
There is a difference in asking and assuming. Asking is a demonstration of faith. A blind certain man petitioned for his solution before Jesus by crying out to Jesus without asking for his need specifically.
Jesus knows our challenging need but He wants us to ask.
Have you been asking or you have only been making noise?
Jesus eventually prompted a blind certain man to ask when He questioned him as stated: “So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to Him. And when he had come near, He asked him, saying, “What do you want Me to do for you?” (Luke 18:40-41)
In seeking for your need, be specific in your asking but not to assume. In your asking, insist, persist and resist all that hinders you receiving from Him.

Prayer for today: Ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His word.

FAITH CAPSULE:  How are you engaging the word of God?

Genesis 19

The Bible records: “He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.” (Psalm 107:20) God sent His word to heal and to deliver but not to take His word for a joke.
Have you been engaging the word of God with seriousness or with a joke? One that knows and do the word of God is obedient by not joking around with God’s word. It is the disobedient one to God’s word that joke with God’s word.
The word Joke is defined as something said or done to provoke laughter or to cause amusement; a matter that need not be taken very seriously or something that does not present the expected challenge.
The word of God is definitely not to be taken for a joke.
God spoke to Abraham, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.” (Genesis 18:20-21) When God was set to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because of sin He spoke to Abraham and Abraham took the word of God serious. With seriousness, Abraham’s responded to the word of God, he repeatedly interceded on behalf of Sodom and Gomorrah but there was nothing in place for God not to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. The purpose of God’s reveal to Abraham was for Lot to be delivered from destruction which was set for Sodom and Gomorrah.
The angels that were sent to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah approached Lot and said, “…Have you anyone else here? Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city—take them out of this place! For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.” (Genesis 19:12-13) In life, how much one knows God (not knowing about God) will also determine how serious one take to God’s word. Lot knew God enough not to take His word for a joke.
Lot, not wanting his people to be consumed by destruction, responded to the messengers of God as stated: “So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, “Get up, get out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city!” But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking.” (Genesis 19:14)
God is not a comedian. Every single word of God should not be taken for joke. If you are one that does not obey the word of God, you have taken God for a joke. There was no further indication that the sons-in-law followed Lot to the ground of escape from destruction. You can avoid destruction by taking to the word of God. The word of God is for deliverance and preservation from destruction. Those who know to take the word serious are the one God knows to talk to.

Prayer for today: Ask for God’s strength not to be taking His word for Joke.

FAITH CAPSULE: You will give earnest heed to what you have heard to deny doubt about your following Jesus.

Mathew 11

What is causing you to have doubt instead of having faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior?
With doubt, fear will settle in one’s life to make one upset. When fear rises, faith will sink.
Have faith which does not sink, by giving self to the word heard with more earnest heed to the things heard in the word of God. Romans 10:17 identifies the source of faith: “…faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
Giving self to doubt is taking a position of neglecting the great salvation. Doubt does not respect any man but giving the more earnest heed to the evidence of God’s doing is more than able for any man to live life without doubt.
John the Baptist, in the prison of life, his doubt about Jesus crowded his life. The Bible records: “And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” (Matthew 11:2-3) Prison time in the life of John the Baptist, one that baptized Jesus became doubtful of who Jesus was.
The record of Matthew 3:13 was enough for John to remember and not to become doubtful, “Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him”
Also, John the Baptist’s bears witness of Jesus was enough not to doubt as John 1:29-30 records: “…Behold The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.”’
If you will give earnest heed to what you have heard and see, the doubt should not a place in your life.
Imagine, John also exalted Jesus but his doubt denied him to remember what he said to Jesus as stated: “He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from Heaven is above all.” (John 3:31)
The challenging time, of John the Baptist demonstrated that he knew about Jesus, but did not know Jesus because of his doubt.
Regardless of challenging times, get to know Jesus by giving earnest heed not to be doubtful.
Jesus’ response to John’s doubt speaks to all with doubts: “…Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” (Mathew 11:4-6)
With doubt, faith will have a tendency to drown.

Prayer for today: Ask for the strength of God to keep you so that your faith will not fail.

FAITH CAPSULE: What is holding you from giving earnest heed to the word of God?

Jeremiah 30

The word of God is not sent to convince but for all man to be committed to the word of God. Also, the word of God is not for decoration but for declaration. Every man’s way of life is declaring who a man is, in the word of God.
Come out from RELIGION in the mouth, but give self to the word of God. A failure to give earnest heed to the word of God will lead to one’s distance from God but closer to self-destruction.
Living by the word of God is rooted in giving the more earnest heed to the things we have heard. Living by the word of God only work for those who work the works of God. Without giving the more earnest to the word that is heard in the word will not work for anyone. In the book of John 6:28, Jesus was asked, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” Jesus responded, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” One that gives earnest heed to Jesus will be living life by the word of God. Jesus is the word of God, give the more earnest heed to His word.
The word of God is POWER with no substitute that is in place for man to live life for the glory of God.
The word of God is the way out for our salvation.
The power in the word of God is for deliverance and preservation.
What is holding you from giving earnest heed to the word of God?
The word of God is proven and witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit. Without a doubt, one that will give earnest heed to the word of God is taking a position to be free from the grave of this world. It was the power of God in the word of Jesus that brought Lazarus from the grave of four days. Bible records: “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.”  Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” (John 11:42-43)
It is important to give earnest heed to the word of God which is the way to gather self in the word of God instead of gathering self in the WORLD.
Giving the more earnest heed to the things we have heard is the evidence of pledging to approach the word of God.
Those that pledge to approach God are the ones that make up mind for God that is mindful of man. Jeremiah 30:21-32 buttressed, “…For who is this who pledged his heart to approach Me?’ says the Lord. You shall be My people, And I will be your God.’”
How is your way of life demonstrating the pledge of your heart to God?
Give more earnest heed to the word of God!

Prayer for today: Ask for your ears to hear and receive the word of God into your heart.